Today's Top 20 Clinical Leadership & Infection Control Stories
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Famed Baylor St. Luke's surgeon linked to 2015 heart transplant patient deaths
Newly released federal documents obtained by ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle connect famed heart transplant surgeon O.H. "Bud" Frazier, MD, of Houston-based Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, to a rash of patient deaths at the hospital in 2015. - 9/10/18 -
How Gundersen Health System debunked vaccine myths and boosted adolescent vaccination rates with an EHR-based solution
The US healthcare system is moving from volume-based care to one focused on value, forcing providers to shift their focus to efficiency and quality instead of patient quantity. As a result, health organizations are developing new systems to address issues resulting from this paradigm shift. - 9/10/18 -
CDC urges public to get flu shot by end of October
The CDC on Sept. 7 recommended all individuals six months and older receive a seasonal flu vaccine, ideally by the end of October. - 9/10/18 -
How health officials respond to outbreak threats on planes: 3 things to know
The CDC quarantined a plane in New York City Sept. 6 after numerous passengers reported feeling ill, triggering what Martin Cetron, MD, director of the CDC's global migration and quarantine division, called the country's "hidden safety net," against infectious diseases, according to STAT. - 9/7/18 -
Social media hospital ratings don't reliably predict clinical care quality, study finds
Although patients can visit various social media sites for crowdsourced insight on other patients' hospital experience, they shouldn't expect reliable guidance on the care quality they will receive, according to research from Bloomington-based Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs. - 9/7/18 -
Survey readiness 101: A guide for safety and success
Imagine hosting a last-minute surprise party at your home for a group of extremely particular individuals. Sound fun? This is similar to what hospital leaders experience when accrediting bodies arrive for a survey. - 9/7/18 -
New York VA hospital physician misreported patients' surgical outcomes, investigation reveals
A federal investigation found a surgeon at Albany (N.Y.) Stratton VA Medical Center misreported the surgical outcomes of three cancer patients who later required additional procedures to remove their tumors, according to Times Union. - 9/7/18 -
Lucile Packard Children's nurse discovers colleague was baby she cared for in NICU
Vilma Wong, a nurse at Stanford, Calif.-based Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford for more than 32 years, recently discovered one of her colleagues is a baby she cared for 28 years ago in the neonatal intensive care unit. - 9/7/18 -
Sick pets may harbor superbugs affecting human health
A Singapore-based study published in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control examined whether sick companion animals can carry drug-resistant bacteria that affect human health. - 9/6/18 -
8 of the top 15 ranked hospitals utilize CipherHealth technology
According to Globenewswire.com, U.S. News & World Report just released it’s Best Hospitals rankings for 2018- 2019. Among the esteemed top 15, are 8 hospitals that use CipherHealth’s technology to better their patient engagement and outcomes. - 9/6/18 -
How 'predatory bacteria' can help fight antibiotic resistance
Researchers are exploring how germ-eating microbes can be used to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria, NPR reports. - 9/6/18 -
Why living organ donations are so rare
Roughly 75,000 patients die annually waiting for an organ transplant, yet some physicians believe it doesn't have to be that way, according to an analysis published in Washington Monthly. - 9/6/18 -
Physician burnout doubles risk of patient safety incidents, study finds
Physician burnout is associated with a higher risk of patient safety incidents, poorer care and lower patient satisfaction, according to a study covered in an American Journal of Managed Care blog post. - 9/6/18 -
US hospital birth complications jumped 45% from 2006 through 2015
From 2006 to 2015, the U.S. saw a significant increase in the number of women who had serious complications while giving birth in hospitals, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. - 9/6/18 -
CDC quarantines plane in New York due to unknown illness
An Emirates airline jet was briefly quarantined at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport after about 100 passengers fell ill on a flight coming from Dubai Sept. 5, according to USA Today. - 9/6/18 -
4 ways hospitals can lower maternal mortality rates
To lower maternal mortality rates, hospitals can develop a standard approach to healthcare, Kelly Conklin, MSN, RN, vice president of quality and safety advisory services at healthcare improvement company Premier, writes in a blog post. - 9/5/18 -
Healthmark's latest addition: fine mesh basket with snap-closure
In a recent press release, Healthmark Industries announced the addition of the Fine Mesh Basket with Snap-Closure to its ProTech® product line. - 9/5/18 -
CMS grants Legacy Health 7-week extension to fix patient safety issues
Facing federal allegations of patient abuse, Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health has received an extension to fix underlying patient care issues at its psychiatric emergency facility, the Unity Center for Behavioral Health, according to Portland Tribune. - 9/5/18 -
OHSU's heart transplant program suspended indefinitely
Portland, Ore.-based OHSU's heart transplant program will remain inactive until the program's staffing needs are met, system officials said in a prepared statement Aug. 31. The extension went into effect the same day. - 9/5/18 -
Top 10 infection control, patient safety stories in August
A story about a nurse getting stabbed while protecting a patient at a Philadelphia hospital most captured readers' attention in August. - 9/4/18
